KNOM Radio Missionhttp://www.knom.org/wp
96.1 FM | 780 AM | Yours for Western AlaskaSun, 02 Aug 2015 17:30:09 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Burmeister First to Huslia as Mushers Strategize Their Layovershttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/03/13/burmeister-first-to-huslia-as-mushers-strategize-their-layovers/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/03/13/burmeister-first-to-huslia-as-mushers-strategize-their-layovers/#commentsFri, 13 Mar 2015 19:05:49 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=15045Despite a grueling run down the Yukon, Ruby was just a pit stop for most mushers. Iditarod teams pressed on to Galena or even to Huslia, where Aaron Burmeister arrived first.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2015/03/2015%20Iditarod/2015.03.12%20Burmesiter%20in%20Huslia%20PKG.mp3

Despite a grueling run down the Yukon, Ruby was just a pit stop for most mushers—who followed a familiar trail last night and today to Galena. But some of the top teams pressed on to Huslia, and KNOM’s Matthew Smith was there when the first musher came in.

Aaron Burmeister says he hasn’t slept all week—not since the Iditarod’s restart in Fairbanks—but whether it was sheer determination or energy from the cheering crowd, both he and his team marched strongly into Huslia on Thursday night—the first time the interior community well known for its mushing history has hosted an Iditarod checkpoint.

In darkness, Nome’s Aaron Burmeister is the first musher to pull in to the halfway point of Huslia. Photo: Matthew Smith, KNOM.

By midnight, Burmeister and last year’s winner, Dallas Seavey, were the only two mushers in to the Huslia checkpoint. Burmeister chipped away at ice and snow as he unharnessed his team—saying that being in the lead is somewhat of a surprise—especially given the setbacks his team’s dealt with from the beginning.

“You guys are awesome, what a good run! You guys had such a long day today,” he said. “Dogs did great. I haven’t slept yet during this race, believe it or not. I have a female in heat and a sick team pretty much all the way. But they’re finally getting healthy and they’re starting to look like a dog team again.”

Several other mushers—including Martin Buser, Norwegian rookie Thomas Waerner, and Tok musher Hugh Neff—were still on the roughly 80-mile trail of lakes and portages to Huslia. But Galena was humming all of Thursday with energy, food, and a host of mushers taking their mandatory rests. Mushers like Jeff King—who blew through Ruby after more than 100 miles on the Yukon and was the first to arrive in Galena—earning him $3,500 in cash and a gourmet dinner.

King says his dogs were clipping along at too good of a pace to stop them in Ruby—and he says he took his required 24 hour rest in Galena in the hopes that others could break the unknown trail to Huslia.

“I was pretty sure someone would go on up to Huslia, and it may not be a big deal, but we’re going to learn something about the trail to Huslia before we leave here. And that’s information the guys ahead of us didn’t have,” said King. “If they ran into open water, we’re going to hear about it, and we’ll know about it. We’ll know how long it took. Not a big deal, but it’s all little pieces that come together.”

Mushers spent their day snacking—both their dogs and themselves—and tending to their teams: rubbing creams and oils into joints and catching some sleep in checkpoint’s bunks. Galena was also where several other parts of the race came together Thursday—the race’s teacher on the trail, the Google Streetview team that mushed only as far south as Nenana—and a group of Norwegian fans who hung a banner over the food drops cheering their mushing countrymen, and woman, along.

“It’s just to support the Norwegian mushers: Joar Ulsom, Thomas Waerner, and Yvonne Dabakk. So it says ‘Go!’ and the names of the Norway mushers and the Norway flag,” said one fan. “Just to show our support.”

While several mushers took their 24 in Galena, Mitch Seavey was finishing his back in Ruby—still feeding and tending his team in the pre-dawn darkness. Overhead, the sky was on fire—as green and purple aurorae danced their ghostly dance.

“I see… one of the Northern Lights displays that would probably be memorable. Rarely have I seen them more brilliant than that,” said Seavey. “We have to enjoy that, and we certainly do, it’s part of what attracts us to this sport. And you’ll find in the middle of being tired or cold or working hard that those, those joys that we get to experience are really a part of the reward, whatever position you’re in.”

And that position is set to change, yet again. As mushers finish up their 24, times are adjusted, and the leaders are starting to jockey for position. Burmesiter’s triumphant arrival in Huslia means only that other mushers are coming off of rests of their own—and setting up their own runs to make sure they’ll be the first under the burled arch.

For a town of just 3,000 people, Nome receives lots of air traffic: including this Coast Guard plane a few days before Christmas 2011. For travelers to southern Alaska or to the Lower 48, air travel is the only way out.

As you may know, the Western Alaska communities that we serve are not connected to the state’s road system. Our ability to travel and to transport goods is thoroughly dependent upon commercial and cargo airlines and, especially, upon the weather. Lately, low visibility and other poor conditions have forced the cancellation of a number of Nome-bound flights.

When our planes don’t fly, cargo (mainly food) and weary passengers end up waiting days to arrive at their destination. Fruit and vegetables bound for rural Alaska may sit for days in warehouses and on runways; the food often spoils, and many frozen foods thaw.

Last week, KNOM’s newest volunteers, Daynee Rosales and Eva DeLappe, were due to arrive at our mission to begin their respective years of service. However, both were diverted to Anchorage when fog and other poor conditions prevented their flights from landing in Nome. After layovers of 12-24 hours in Alaska’s largest city, both Daynee and Eva finally arrived at the Nome airport to hugs and happy smiles from the KNOM staff.

Daynee and Eva have just begun their two-week training programs. We are so thankful for their service.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/08/19/heavy-weather-a-week-of-cancelled-flights-and-new-volunteers/feed/0In Kaltag: Zirkle and Bakerhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/10/in-kaltag-zirkle-and-baker/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/10/in-kaltag-zirkle-and-baker/#commentsSun, 11 Mar 2012 05:57:47 +0000http://onthetrail.knom.org/?p=1438Aliy Zirkle pulled into Kaltag in first position Saturday morning. She was in good spirits but said both she and her dogs were in need of rest – not least because of some involuntary naps along the trail.

Zirkle’s dogs were also facing an issue with hair loss on their feet, related to moisture buildup and the friction of long runs on the trail.

John Baker also seemed to be having a good run into the Kaltag checkpoint. He arrived there more than 3 hours after Zirkle but with an almost identical split time: Baker took 4 hours and 55 minutes to run from Nulato to Kaltag, versus Zirkle’s 4 hours 54 minutes.

The Kotzebue musher told Laureli that the trail was becoming more favorable to his dogs, which are accustomed to the hard, wind-packed snow of northwestern Alaska.

With Laureli, Baker talked about his hopes for his dogs to increase their fast runs, as well as his thoughts on the possibility of breaking his own Iditarod record in 2012:

As of 9pm Saturday, both Aliy Zirkle and John Baker have departed Kaltag, both with 12 dogs (Zirkle dropped two in Kaltag). Aliy Zirkle left at 4:55pm, John Baker at 6:30pm.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/10/in-kaltag-zirkle-and-baker/feed/0Burmeister, in Ruby, Having “a Great Run”http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/09/burmeister-in-ruby-having-a-great-run/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/09/burmeister-in-ruby-having-a-great-run/#commentsSat, 10 Mar 2012 02:33:39 +0000http://onthetrail.knom.org/?p=1321“Today, things are looking really good,” Aaron Burmeister told KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen on Friday. With an eye to the Iditarod championship, the Nome-born musher says “(we) have a good shot at it.”

In our interview in the Ruby checkpoint, Burmeister talked about the state of his dogs, as well as the challenges of making a cohesive team out of dogs from multiple kennels.

After “a great run,” Burmeister says, his dogs are “just coming together for me right now.” Although he said he doesn’t pay much attention to the race standings before the Yukon, he seemed optimistic that the second half of his Iditarod race could be a successful one:

Although the younger Seavey told KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen that his focus is getting the best from his own dogs, he certainly knows the caliber of the teams he’ll have to beat if he’s to finish in Nome first.

With regards to John Baker, the reigning Iditarod champion, Seavey says “you can never count guys like that out… He can do some pretty incredible things with his sled dogs.”

In our interview in the Ruby checkpoint, Dallas Seavey talked about his run from Cripple, his dogs (“they’re tough”), and why he doesn’t expect to see too many “big moves” from the race leaders:

John Baker, meanwhile, struck a measured tone in the Ruby checkpoint. The 2011 champ says his dogs haven’t been running as well on the soft trails of this year’s race; in their home territory – the wind-swept tundra of Kotzebue, in northwestern Alaska – the trails are harder.

“I’m the slowest team around,” Baker says, but he’s holding out optimism for the second half of the race, hoping to “make it more interesting” going forward.

In the Takotna checkpoint, the Two Rivers, Alaska musher told KNOM trail reporter Laureli Kinneen that long runs aren’t necessarily her “cup of tea” but that she’s also flexible in her mushing strategy, adaptable to the condition both of the trail and of her dog team.

Predictable or not, Zirkle’s strategy seems to be working. At the time of writing (6pm Thursday), she’s in the top 5 of the race standings, nestled amid former champions Mitch Seavey, Jeff King, and John Baker.

When we caught up with her in Takotna, Zirkle struck a positive tone in her outlook for the race. She also talked about what it’s like to mush alongside her protegé – 23-year-old musher Ryne Olson – and without husband and fellow musher Allen Moore.

Hear Aliy Zirkle in Takotna:

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]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/08/zirkle-not-predictable-but-in-the-top-five/feed/0Hear John Baker Departing the Takotna Checkpointhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/08/hear-john-baker-departing-the-takotna-checkpoint/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/08/hear-john-baker-departing-the-takotna-checkpoint/#commentsFri, 09 Mar 2012 00:43:22 +0000http://onthetrail.knom.org/?p=1281It was early Thursday morning when 2011 champion John Baker departed the Iditarod checkpoint of Takotna. Despite the early hour (he departed at 2:01am), both Baker and his dogs seemed in good form.

Baker said his dogs “took full advantage” of their mandatory 24-hour rest; surveying the trail ahead, the musher said his about his dogs, “they’re ready now.” In a brief interview with KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen – just moments before hitting the trail to Ophir – Baker talked about his run/rest schedule this year and his impressions of the race so far:

http://www.knom.org/on-the-trail/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2012-03-08-knom-ott-takotna-baker.mp3
]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/08/hear-john-baker-departing-the-takotna-checkpoint/feed/0On-Air Update: Wednesday, March 7 (5pm)http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/07/on-air-update-wednesday-march-7-5pm/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/07/on-air-update-wednesday-march-7-5pm/#commentsThu, 08 Mar 2012 03:52:04 +0000http://onthetrail.knom.org/?p=1278In Wednesday’s 5pm update, Ric and Ben go over the departure times for mushers leaving their 24-hour layovers (during which the differentials in starting times are corrected).

With a live report from Laureli in Takotna, the three talk about what Wednesday evening has in store for the checkpoint, the deep snows on the trail, and more:

http://www.knom.org/on-the-trail/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2012-03-07-knom-ott-5pm-update.mp3
]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/07/on-air-update-wednesday-march-7-5pm/feed/0In Takotna: DeeDee Jonrowe and Josh Cadzowhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/07/in-takotna-deedee-jonrowe-and-josh-cadzow/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2012/03/07/in-takotna-deedee-jonrowe-and-josh-cadzow/#commentsThu, 08 Mar 2012 03:41:00 +0000http://onthetrail.knom.org/?p=1274In Takotna on Wednesday afternoon, DeeDee Jonrowe echoed the priorities of many of her fellow mushers: taking stock of her dogs, and sleep. Her mandatory 24-hour layover was a chance to catch up on rest, not just for herself but, also, for the dogs that had run through the deep snow of much of this year’s Iditarod trail.

As for the trail yet to come, Jonrowe told KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen that she’s “prepared to camp” during the long stretches to the Ruby checkpoint, especially if the trail remains slow. She also shared with KNOM her strategies and thoughts on where and when to take the 24-hour layover – and why, in an ideal race, she would prefer to take it elsewhere:

23-year-old Josh Cadzow is running his first Iditarod in 2012, but it’s far from his first sled dog race.

A two-time champion of the Yukon Quest 300 and a top-ten finisher in the full-length, 1,000-mile Quest, Cadzow has a strong connection to dog mushing: as a native Athabascan from Fort Yukon, Alaska, he picked up a love for mushing through his culture and especially from his father, who served both as a parent and as a mentor.

In our interview, Cadzow talks about his mentality for running Iditarod 40 – “steady as she goes” – as well as his sources of support in his dog mushing pursuits. He also describes the importance he places on mushing as a cultural value – something he hopes to pass down to his children, just as his father did.

And even though he’s had great success in the Quest (at a very young age), he’s keeping his Iditarod ambitions simple this year: “see the Nome lights.”

Bethel musher Pete Kaiser – the champion of last month’s Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450 – says he’s generally happy with his position in Iditarod 2012. In our interview, Kaiser talks about how his dogs are faring in the deep snow of this year’s trail, as well as how his dogs’ digestive health has improved.

He also shares a bit of his run/rest strategy for the trail beyond Takotna – up to Cripple and then on to Nome – as well as what he’s up to during his 24-hour layover:

For Mike Williams, Jr., a 24-hour layover offers a chance to feed his dogs – as he was when KNOM trail reporter Laureli Kinneen caught up with him – as well as to eat, to visit other mushers, and to sleep. The Akiak musher may well need to prioritize rest; in our interview, he talks about slipping into brief periods of sleep while mushing his dogs, taking cat naps in the trail up to Takotna.

As for his dogs, Williams says “they’re looking good” – and alert enough to know when their musher has accidentally fallen asleep: